STATE OF MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

What this award covers

MATERNAL, INFANT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD HOMEVISITING GRANT PROGRAM - PROJECT ABSTRACT PROJECT TITLE: AFFORDABLE CARE ACT - MATERNAL, INFANT, AND EARLY CHILDHOOD HOME VISITING (MIECHV) RECIPIENT NAME: MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EARLY CHILDHOOD AND FAMILY SUPPORT DIVISION, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH BUREAU, HEALTHY MONTANA FAMILIES HOME VISITING PROGRAM. ADDRESS: 1625 11TH AVENUE, HELENA, MT, 59601 PROJECT DIRECTOR NAME: LESLIE LEE, PROJECT DIRECTOR CONTACT PHONE AND FAX NUMBERS: PHONE: (406) 444-6940; FAX: (406) 444-2230 EMAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] WEBSITE ADDRESS: WWW.HMF.MT.GOV GRANT PROGRAM FUNDS REQUESTED IN THE FY26 APPLICATION: $4,754,493 BASE; $1,575,038 MATCH PURPOSE HEALTHY MONTANA FAMILIES (HMF) HOME VISITING PROGRAMS SEEKS TO MAINTAIN CURRENT LEVELS OF HOME VISITING SERVICES IN THE STATE. THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF THE PROJECT IS TO PROVIDE VOLUNTARY, HIGH-QUALITY, FAMILY-CENTERED SERVICES IN THE HOME TO PREGNANT AND NEWLY PARENTING CAREGIVERS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR ALL CLIENTS. WITH THE MANY CHALLENGES EXPERIENCED IN THE PANDEMIC AND CONTINUED WORKFORCE CHALLENGES, HMF WILL WORK TO SUPPORT LOCAL IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES TO CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE QUALITY OF SERVICES, ENHANCE COORDINATION BETWEEN COMMUNITY SERVICES, AND SUSTAIN THE HOME VISITING WORKFORCE IN MONTANA. GOALS GOAL 1: STRENGTHEN AND IMPROVE THE PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT UNDER TITLE V AND MIECHV THROUGH HIGH QUALITY DATA, ASSESSMENT, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT (CQI) ACTIVITIES. GOAL 2: IMPROVE COORDINATION OF SERVICES FOR AT RISK COMMUNITIES. GOAL 3: CONTINUE TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR MONTANA FAMILIES BY FUNDING COMMUNITIES TO IDENTIFY NEEDS AND PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED, HOME VISITING SERVICES. THE PROJECT GOALS ALIGN WITH OR ARE INCORPORATED INTO THE THREE GOALS OF THE MIECHV PROGRAM: 1. STRENGTHEN AND IMPROVE THE PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT UNDER TITLE V; 2. IMPROVE COORDINATION OF SERVICES FOR AT RISK COMMUNITIES, AND; 3. IDENTIFY AND PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR FAMILIES WHO RESIDE IN AT RISK COMMUNITIES. METHODOLOGY HMF IMPLEMENTS FOUR EVIDENCE-BASED HOME VISITING MODELS: PARENTS AS TEACHERS, NURSE-FAMILY PARTNERSHIP, FAMILY SPIRIT, AND SAFECARE AUGMENTED. THERE ARE EIGHTEEN (18) LIA SITES IN SIXTEEN (16) COUNTIES, INCLUDING THREE (3) TRIBAL COMMUNITIES. SPECIFIC TARGETED POPULATIONS AND/OR AREAS INCLUDE TRIBAL POPULATIONS/AREAS AND FAMILIES AT AN INCREASED RISK OF BECOMING INVOLVED WITH CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES (CPS). IN FY25, LIAS SERVED APPROXIMATELY 948 MIECHV FAMILY SLOTS AND ANTICIPATES A PROPOSED CASELOAD OF 824 IN FY26 AND 824 IN FY27. TO ENSURE LINKAGES TO REFERRAL NETWORKS AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES, HMF WORKS DIRECTLY WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS SUCH AS WIC, HEAD START, AND CPS, TO ENSURE SYSTEM COLLABORATION. HMF WILL RELEASE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL IN LATE 2026 FOR SERVICES ACROSS MONTANA. AS A RESULT OF THE UPDATED STATE NEEDS ASSESSMENT IN 2025, ALL MONTANA COUNTIES ARE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE MIECHV FUNDS FOR SERVICE DELIVERY. HMF FUNDS LIAS TO IMPROVE THEIR COMMUNITY INTEGRATION AND REFERRAL PROCESSES BY SUPPORTING AND CREATING POLICIES THAT ALIGN WITH HMF GOALS. HMF IS AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN MANY ARENAS WHERE SYSTEMS WORK IS ADDRESSED.